CHAMP CAR: Mexico City Notebook - Friday

Since the beginning of baseball, opening day has been an American tradition. It was the single day of the year that, for some odd reason, coincided with the most illnesses. It seems that there are more people calling in sick on opening day than any other day of they year, and employers still can't explain this phenomenon.

Opening day is the most fun day of the year, as excitement and anticipation runs wild. Even in cities where attendance lags throughout the year, opening day is always sold out. Fans cheer on their bottom-basement teams as if they were true contenders.

As much as fans love opening day, baseball went ahead with its plan to kick of the season in Japan. The Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 5-3 in Tokyo, in the first game ever to have been played outside of North America, drawing 55,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome.

"We are excited about opening the first season of the 21st Century in Japan", Selig said. "The Japanese people have a great love for the game of baseball and we are pleased to have this opportunity to share this historic moment with them. This is a great night for baseball', says commissioner Bud Selig. That might be the case if you think baseball needs new traditions. Games abroad will change the way the game is played; perhaps not in terms of rules, but in terms of the "culture" of baseball.

We saw several Japanese values on this day. The evening started with five women in kimonos presenting flowers to both teams and the umpires. Another example was after Mike Piazza hammered a two-run shot over the fence, he was presented with a doll as he crossed the plate.

In the stands, fans enjoyed sushi and sake instead of hotdogs and beer. There was also the popular eel bento box(cooked eel surrounded by odd-colored side dishes), as well as hot tea. Peanuts are also popular, but are sold with rice and crackers. Another popular food is squid with noodles. It is Japanese custom to cover your mouth when you are sick; many fans are seen wearing surgical masks. The Japanese culture is one of the most polite you will ever come across.

When players hit foul balls and home runs into the stands, rather than the standard mad scramble to recover the ball, the Japanese politely return the ball to the ushers. Imagine that happening in America?!? I am not saying there is anything wrong with it, just that it is quite different from the American way.